Babysitting advice for kids, by kids

16 November, 2016

2 Min Read

Hands up if the first experience you had with earning your own money was through babysitting? It’s an exciting first step into the adult world for many teenagers, but one with a lot of responsibility. In recognition of that, a group of Hong Kong students have created a guide, How to be a Good Babysitter full of hints and tips aimed at kids who are considering undertaking some babysitting duties.

The tips in the guide were formulated by kids

The book for kids, by kids is the result of the first Jumpstart Kids Entrepreneur Summer Camp for five children aged eight to 11. The workshop was run by Yana Robbins, the editor-in-chief of Jumpstart magazine, which is aimed at the startup and entrepreneurial community.

Yana says the two-week workshop saw the students go through the entire spectrum of the process of starting a business, from brainstorming the initial concept, to coming up with content and also sourcing funding. “It was an incredible experience, super rewarding and extremely exhausting,” she says.

She says the group came easily to a consensus that they wanted to create a babysitter’s guide.

The two-week workshop saw the kids explore the process of starting a business from scratch

“All five kids agreed on wanting to do a book about how to be a good babysitter,” she says. “And then every day we went through different topics – such as how to source images, copyright law, sponsors for the book, how to promote the book. We also looked at safety concerns, as well as art for the book and crowdfunding.”

The 38-page book in both English and Cantonese is largely written by the kids with advice on things like how to play with a baby, punctuality and dealing with children with food allergies.

Ukrainian-born Yana, who grew up in the US, has lived in Hong Kong for four years and is a mother-of-one. She says the book’s publication was financed by crowdfunding and there are now copies on sale in Bookazine’s eight locations across Hong Kong and Toys Club. It will also be available at selected pop-up shops.